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5 Reasons Why Moms Make Great Nurses

There are many mothers working as nurses and many who are considering going into nursing as a career. Yet some of those considering the job are afraid they aren’t qualified. Here are five reasons why moms make great nurses.

Your Immune System Is Already Supercharged

If your oldest child has hit preschool, there’s a good chance you’re already immune to the most common diseases going around. You’ve probably been exposed to every cold, skin rash, and stomach bug by taking care of your child when ill. As a nurse, there are probably a few more vaccinations you need, but you’re going to be far less prone to get sick than a nurse who has never had children. This dual role also leaves you uniquely prepared for dealing with your own sick child, since you’ll know the recommended treatment plans and over the counter meds to give your own child. And being vaccinated as part of your medical training against even more diseases will make you an even better caregiver to your own family.

You’ve Gotten Over the Ick Factor

Many people are reluctant to be around sick patients. They find blood, vomit, and other bodily fluids disturbing or horrifying. As a mother, you’ve dealt with a child that arrived surrounded by bodily fluids and then proceeded to leak from every orifice. Your baby poops and pees several times a day, spits up periodically and throws up many times – often on Mom – once they can crawl over and put anything on the floor in their mouths. As a parent, you’re inured to the literal human mess-making potential. A mortified patient with a leaking ostomy bag is far easier to deal with than a toddler who trails pee and poop walking up to you without a diaper.

You’ve Already Mastered a Bedside Manner

Whether convincing a cranky baby to go to sleep or making a sick toddler less miserable so they don’t cry, moms have mastered the most difficult aspect of a bedside manner – offering comfort and compassion without getting sucked into the despair and emotional pain themselves.

Priorities, Priorities

Mom’s making dinner when a thud and sharp scream erupt from the nursery. Mothers know how to put dinner on hold, quickly assess the situation and offer the necessary critical care before offering emotional support. Does your child have a broken bone, concussion or merely a bump on the head? Is that pinched finger broken or only severely squished? Parents learn how to quickly assess problems and then set priorities like which crying child needs attention versus which needs to be taken to the hospital. Doctor of nurse practitioner programs are the medical experts that many patients see, though nurse practitioners may still need to refer patients to specialists, the hospital ER or a full doctor.

Communication

Parents learn how to communicate at a child’s level. Why am I throwing up? Why am I sick? If parents can communicate with children, they can explain medical procedures and treatments to patients at any intelligence level. Moms also know how to answer questions at an age-appropriate level when dealing with pediatric patients and their parents. Your skills will only improve while you are earning a nurse practitioner doctorate degree.

Conclusion

Parenthood is in many ways similar to nursing and mothers already have a leg up in the profession.

About Us

Welcome to ABC at Home! The woman/parenting/homeschooling/entrepreneur resource brought to you by a busy, but efficient mother! I write articles about travel, business, finance and many more subjects for stay-at-home parents (yes, that includes men too) so that our kids can thrive as much as we do.